UK says sea drone fired US torpedo for first time

Britain and the United States test-fired a torpedo from an uncrewed undersea vessel for the first time, the UK government said Monday.

London said the live firing took place in UK waters last week as part of the AUKUS alliance with Australia. The UK government said the test marked a major advance in submarine technology for the three countries.

The heavyweight torpedo, jointly developed by the United States and Australia, was launched from a 12-metre British-made undersea drone named Excalibur, London said.

Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the RUSI think-tank, called the development noteworthy and said the use of a lethal payload showed uncrewed systems could have roles beyond surveillance.